Australian government obliging BHP Billiton on environment
Now and then we get an insight on who really runs Australia. Chiefs of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto accompany Prime Minsiter Julia Gillard on official visit to China.
BHP Billiton’s Don Argus heads the government’s mining tax task force.
And now – the recommended revamp of Australia’s environmental laws is strangely delayed – for 2 years!
That will give BHP Billiton time to get its Olympic Dam Uranium Mine through environmental laws, while the rules remain weaker.
Australian government’s strange delay on environmental laws
”It is curious the government will take longer to respond to the review than it took a team of experts to investigate and write it.”..
Environment laws on hold, The Age Tom Arup, 1April 26, 2011, THE government will wait at least two years until it responds to a comprehensive review recommending a shake-up of national environment laws. Continue reading
Japan increases “acceptable” radiation level for nuclear workers
it has the effect of legalizing illness and deaths from nuclear radiation, or at least the state’s responsibility for them….the state’s concern appears to be less the health of employees and more the cost of caring for nuclear victims….the government urged children back to the schools of Fukushima prefecture, stating that the risk of 20 mSv or more per year was acceptable, despite the high vulnerability of children.
Dying for TEPCO? Fukushima’s Nuclear Contract Workers, The AsiaPacific Journal , Paul Jobin 28 April 11, “……..On March 14th, the Ministry of Health and Labor raised the maximum dose for workers to 250 mSv a year, where previously it was set at 100 mSv over 5 years (either 20 mSv a year for five years or 50 mSv for 2 years, which is in itself a strange interpretation of the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection’s guideline stipulating a maximum of 20 mSv a year. Continue reading
Renewable Energy – Clean Energy Week Australia
Clean Energy Week will bring together over 1500 delegates from across the country and around the world to hear the latest on clean energy policy, project financing, development of clean energy technologies…..the Clean Energy Council has this year invited the public to attend for free on Friday and Saturday; to see first-hand and learn about the technologies at the cutting-edge of Australia’s clean energy revolution.
Energy Matters And Apollo Energy At Clean Energy Week 2011, Renewable Energy News, by Energy Matters 28 April 11, Australia’s two biggest renewable energy conferences, the Clean Energy Conference and ATRAA are being held over one week and under one roof and this year; and the general public are invited to attend. Continue reading
Exciting potential of decentralised renewable energy
small and medium scale solar power has the potential to become the Internet of distributed electricity generation – a network resilient to a single point of failure; whether caused by natural disasters or attack by hostile parties.
Centralised Vs. Decentralised Solar Power Renewable Energy News, by Energy Matters, 28 April 11 As the U.S. begins a major push to become the leading player in the global solar revolution, the topic of sprawling solar farms built away from communities vs. small and medium scale solar arrays utilising rooftops and smaller parcels of already developed or degraded land is becoming an increasingly important issue. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 